Mary MacKillop, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death
TweetMary MacKillop
Australian foundress and saint
Date of Birth: 
Place of Birth: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
About Mary MacKillop
- Mary Helen MacKillop RSJ (15 January 1842 – 8 August 1909) was an Australian nun who has been declared a saint by the Catholic Church, as St Mary of the Cross.
- Of Scottish descent, she was born in Melbourne but is best known for her activities in South Australia.
- Together with the Reverend Julian Tenison Woods, she founded the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart (the Josephites), a congregation of religious sisters that established a number of schools and welfare institutions throughout Australia and New Zealand, with an emphasis on education for the rural poor. The process to have MacKillop declared a saint began in the 1920s, and she was beatified in January 1995 by Pope John Paul II.
- Pope Benedict XVI prayed at her tomb during his visit to Sydney for World Youth Day 2008 and in December 2009 approved the Catholic Church's recognition of a second miracle attributed to her intercession.
- She was canonised on 17 October 2010, during a public ceremony in St Peter's Square at the Vatican.
- She is the first Australian to be recognised by the Catholic Church as a saint.
- Mary MacKillop is the patron saint of Brisbane.
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